(Flash Review)

I went into this hoping for some exposure to some classic and soulful jazz from a legendary trumpeter, Lee Morgan, and it leans more toward his life story rather than showing many musical clips. Much of the documentary is told through still photography, talking heads and a dash of music interspersed here and there. But I did get to learn more about Lee Morgan from which I knew zero. Dizzy Gillespie found him and gave him his start in his band. After falling into drugs, Morgan was arguably rescued by a woman named Helen who would become a major part of the rest of his life for his best of times and worst of times. The slow-paced film covers significant stories told by people close to him and his life's ups and downs. It was informational yet nothing special. I personally had hoped for a bit more music.

Having never heard of Lee Morgan this was an interesting story, but the construction was very by- the-numbers. A standard talking head movie that relied on a tape made in the 90's that sadly didn't illuminate enough to really get a sense of the complete tale. Had this been made when more people involved were alive, it might have been stronger, but they made do with what they had and I can't fault them for that. An interesting TV documentary show episode and about at that level technically. Jazz fans check it out.

The focus of this documentary is renowned American jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan (1938 - 1972) as well as his common-law wife Helen More who restored and saved Lee's life during a time of serious drug addiction only to end it later on.

The movie's directing style, by Kasper Collin, reflects the beauty and mood of the jazz music it portrays. A very clever bonus is the use of coloured footage of people walking about the streets of New York in the 50s, 60s, and early 70s. This helps greatly in recalling moods and styles of eras that are long gone.

The main narration of this film is an audio recording of More in 1996. While it is mostly insightful, it is occasionally difficult to understand as More had an unusual accent that is not always easy to comprehend. Collin ought to have used subtitles during these segments.

With many magnificent still photos, TV footage, and interviews with Morgan's past bend members, it was unfortunate that only a brief audio recording of Morgan could be found as evidence of the man himself offstage. But the music - highlighted by Morgan's brilliant artistry as a trumpet player - more than makes up for this gap.